The Deputy's Lost and Found

by Stella Bagwell

  He reached out and gingerly touched her cheek. “All I ask is for a chance to make it up to you, honey,” he said brokenly. “You and your mother—you’ve always been my whole life. All I’ve ever worked for—the farm, the horses—it was for you.”

  Her throat burning, she turned her face away from him and blinked her eyes. “Yes, I know,” she murmured thickly.

  The sound of footsteps came from across the room and both Lass and Ward turned to see Brady emerge from the foyer. Another man was following directly behind him, but his head was hidden by Brady’s broad shoulder.

  Since the Donovans didn’t carry out ranching business in the house, Lass wondered if the unannounced guest was Sheriff Hamilton, wanting to question her father. But then Brady suddenly stepped to one side and she could see the visitor was not the rugged sheriff; it was her nightmare come to life.

  “David,” Ward greeted warmly, “did you have a good look at the Donovans’ stables?”

  Lass stared numbly at the man, her throat too paralyzed to utter a sound.

  He glanced over at Lass, then gave her a sympathetic smile as though she didn’t have her full mental faculties and needed to be treated with patience and understanding. Clearly he’d made this trip with Ward confident that Lass still had amnesia and wouldn’t be able to recognize him, she thought wildly.

  Turning his attention to her father, he answered, “It was great, Ward. You really need to let Mr. Donovan show you around before we leave. They have an aquatic pool for the horses and I want you to see it. I think it’s time Porter Farms invested in one. If we plan to compete—”

  The muscles in Lass’s throat finally released enough to work and she screamed loudly as she stumbled backward, away from David and her father.

  Brady leaped forward and caught her by the arm. “Lass! What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Horrified, she flung a finger toward David, who was already backing cautiously away from them. “David—he’s the one who attacked me! At the car—in the mountains!”

  Feigning a wounded expression, David stepped forward and held his palms upward in a gesture of innocence. “Camille, I’m so sorry about your—accident. Your father tells me you can’t remember anything and I can see for myself how tangled your thinking is right now. But you’ll get well and then you’ll see how much I care about you.”

  He reached a hand toward her and Lass shrank back against the comfort of Brady’s solid frame.

  “Liar!” she flung at him. “You—you’re psychotic. Tell my father what you were planning to do to me! To him!”

  Totally confused, Ward turned to his daughter and said in a soothing, placating voice. “Honey, you’re confused. That’s David. Our assistant. Our friend. Remember? He couldn’t be the man who tried to harm you.”

  “He’s not a friend, Daddy,” she spoke through gritted teeth. “All he wanted was to get your ranch and he planned to do that through me. I tried to tell you about him months ago, but you refused to believe me! Now after all that’s happened, you’re still taking his side!”

  Apparently Ward’s spoken defense of him was enough to give David the courage to stop his backward progression out of the room and he stared at Lass as though he couldn’t believe she would have the gall or the courage to accuse him of anything.

  He said, “Camille, you’re still a sick woman. You obviously have me confused with some other man.”

  Her voice trembling, Lass shouted at him, “I’m sick all right for not screaming to high heaven at the track when you strong-armed me into your car!”

  Ward’s bewildered expression suddenly turned suspicious as he looked at his assistant. “A few days after Camille left the ranch, you made a trip to Florida to visit your family. Or so you said. Maybe Deputy Donovan should give them a call and straighten out this matter,” Ward suggested.

  David’s gaze was suddenly darting nervously around the room. “This from you, Ward? I’m going outside for some fresh air and while I’m gone maybe you’ll come to your senses and realize your daughter is delusional.”

  “Come here!” The order to David came from Brady, his voice steely soft and so menacing it could have been a weapon. “You have a few questions to answer.”

  “Not to you, buddy!”

  At that moment David turned and started to run toward the foyer, but Brady instantly leaped into action and halfway across the room, he caught Lass’s attacker by the arm and spun him around.

  David immediately resisted and attempted to throw a punch at Brady’s face, but he quickly dodged the blow. David attempted to swing again, but by then Brady was plowing into him with both fists, until he staggered backward then fell against an antique table. The piece of furniture, along with an ornate lamp, crashed to the floor. David followed close behind and lay sprawled and groaning among the broken pieces.

  “My God!” Ward bellowed in stunned disbelief. “What is going on here?”

  Heaving from anger and exertion, Brady glanced at him. “You’re witnessing an arrest. Lincoln County style.”

  “Then I’m here at the perfect time,” Kate announced as she hurried into the room. She was carrying a large silver tray and there, among the drinks and snacks, lay a pair of handcuffs. With a catlike grin, she shoved the tray toward Brady. “I heard the commotion and thought you might need these.”

  Wiping his sweaty forehead against the sleeve of his shirt, Brady looked at her and the handcuffs, then started to chuckle. “Grandma, are these the cuffs I gave you as a gag gift?”

  Kate chuckled along with her grandson. “I knew someday I’d have good use for them.”

  Grabbing up the cuffs, he planted a kiss on her cheek. “I can never get ahead of you, can I?”

  She tossed him a grin full of love and pride. “Don’t even try.”

  Quickly, Brady plucked the woozy man from the floor and cuffed his hands behind his back. Once he was certain his prisoner was securely shackled, he shoved him down in the nearest chair and turned to search the room for Lass.

  She was standing only a few feet away, anxiously waiting and watching for the ordeal to be over. As soon as he held out his arms, she ran to him and buried her face against his chest.

  “Oh, Brady,” she sobbed with relief. “My nightmare is finally over.”

  Pressing his cheek to the top of her head, he held her tightly. “And our life together is just beginning, my darling.”

  Later that night, in the privacy of the foreman’s old house, Lass and Brady lay snuggled together on the small double bed. An arm’s width away, moonlight slanted through the bare windows and bathed Lass’s face in a silver glow that matched the radiant light in her eyes.

  Even though she was drowsy from their lovemaking, she couldn’t seem to wipe the smile from her face or to let herself actually fall asleep. There was too much to think about, too much to experience to waste it on slumber.

  Drawing lazy circles across Brady’s chest, she tilted her head back far enough to see his face. His tawny hair lay in rumpled waves over his forehead while his relaxed features were a total contrast to the fierce expression he’d had when he’d lunged for David.

  “Are you sorry that Grandma invited Ward to stay on the ranch with us for a few days?” Brady asked in a dozy voice. “She really wasn’t trying to butt in, you know. She loves you.”

  The corners of Lass’s lips continued to curve upward. “Yes, I know she loves me. And she wants me and my father to have a chance to talk things over and hopefully make a new start of things. She believes that’s important to my happiness.”

  “So do I.” His fingers gently stroked her hair. “Do you think it’s possible for the two of you to start over?”

  “I didn’t before. But I do now. I think…when the awful truth about David finally sunk in, I believe he realized how he’d been looking at things in the wrong way. You see, my father has always been a hard-driving, ambitious man. And David is that same type. I suppose that’s why he liked him so much. Why he wouldn’t believe me when I told h
im that he was making overtures that were making me…uncomfortable.”

  “Had David worked for your family long?”

  “Probably three years. And in that time I made the mistake of going out on one date with him. It took me about an hour to realize he wasn’t my type at all. But he refused to accept that I had no interest in him.” She sighed. “What will happen to him now, Brady?”

  Earlier this afternoon, after things had calmed down, Brady had hauled David to the jail in Carrizozo. As of now, the man was still behind bars, waiting for bail to be set.

  “That’s for a court to decide, Lass. As far as I’m concerned they should lock him away for a long while. But I can’t believe that all this while he was checking in to make sure you still had amnesia and couldn’t identify him. It took a lot of nerve to come face you again. He sounds like the kind of man who thinks if he wants it hard enough it will come true.”

  Lass shivered. Now that her memory had returned, the images of what had happened continued to haunt her. Yet a part of her was glad that she could remember the whole incident now. Remember it and hopefully come to terms with it all.

  “When he showed up at the track, I was stunned, Brady. I was standing there at the saddling paddock watching the jockeys and the horses and then suddenly David showed up out of nowhere. I had no idea that he knew I’d come here to New Mexico. The only thing I can figure is that he overheard my phone conversation when I was making flight plans.”

  “What did he tell you? I mean, the reason that he was there?”

  “He’d said that my father had taken ill and that he’d come to fetch me home.”

  “The man hadn’t heard of telephoning?” Brady asked.

  “Exactly,” she answered. “I was immediately suspicious, so I told him I wanted to call my father first. That’s when he jerked the cell phone from my hand and forcefully walked me to his car.”

  Brady made a tsking noise with his tongue. “Bad mistake, Lass. Never get into a car with someone you don’t trust.”

  “I certainly learned that lesson,” she said wryly. “I made a huge mistake by not making a scene at the track and alerting someone that I needed help. I should have never allowed him to get me into the car. But I went along. Because deep down, I never suspected he would try to physically harm me. But then as we drove east from the track, he begin to tell me how much he loved me, how once Daddy was dead, the two of us could have Porter Farms for our own. I was terrified. He seemed so calm, so sure that once he’d had me on his own I’d be willing to stay with him and let him have control of me and the ranch. He talked about giving me tranquilizers and telling everyone I’d had a breakdown after my mother died, but he was going to care for me. Or that I’d even have an accident if I ever tried to leave him.”

  Brady propped himself up on one shoulder to look down at her. “God, Lass, do you think he meant to murder your father? Or did he only mean when your father grew older and passed away?”

  Lass shook her head. “I’m not certain. But when he said those things, there was evilness in his voice that I’d never heard before. After that my mind began to work furiously to find a way to get out of the car and away from him. I knew if I ever had a chance of escape I would have to do it while we were still in the mountains. Once we got out on the flat desert there wouldn’t be anywhere to hide. So I feigned nausea and told him to pull the car over before I retched everywhere.”

  “Yes. Johnny found the spot where the car was parked,” Brady said. “He said a scuffle happened there.”

  Lass closed her eyes against the vivid memories. “David got out of the car, too. I guess by then, he didn’t trust me. I walked to the trunk area and began to cough, but it wasn’t convincing enough for him. He grabbed me with intentions of putting me back in the car. He told me it was time he had a bit of fun.”

  “Bastard,” Brady cursed. “I should have hit him again, just for good measure.”

  She slipped a hand down his muscled arm. He was a strong man, this man that she loved and he would always be there to fight for her, protect her in every way. It was a heady thought.

  “That’s exactly what I did,” she told him. “Hard. I guess he wasn’t expecting me to fight back. Especially me jabbing my fingers in his eyes. While he was howling, I ran. The sun had gone down, but there was still a bit of light left. He chased after me, but I suppose he couldn’t see very well because of what I’d done to his eyes. Once I climbed out of the ravine, I lost him and kept running up the mountain. Until I fell. Then the next thing I remember is waking up to see your face hovering over me.”

  A tender smile curved his lips. “And now you’re here. Still in my arms. I just can’t get rid of you, can I?”

  “Do you want to?” she asked in a voice that was half-teasing, half-serious.

  Brady’s eyes twinkled. “I’m not sure. Maybe you’d better let me think about this before I answer.”

  “I probably should. Since you know very little about my past.”

  “What’s there to know that I need to know?”

  “Hmm. Well, let’s see, I made straight A’s in high school and I took choir all four years.”

  One of his brows arched upward. “You can sing?”

  “Only in the shower.”

  He grinned. “Good. That means you can serenade me.”

  She laughed softly. “And I graduated from TU with a degree in business. I used that knowledge to help with the business side of Porter Farms. But horses are my first love. Working with them is what I’ve always wanted to do the most. Does that bother you?”

  “Only if you spend more time with them than me.”

  She trailed the tip of her index finger across his chin. “I promise to never let that happen.”

  “Does it bother you that I’m a lawman?”

  Suddenly serious, she said, “It worries me that your job sometimes puts you in danger. But I’ve seen a jockey break his neck. Everything has its dangers. That’s why we need to live and love and enjoy each other as much as we can, whenever we can.”

  “You got that right,” he murmured, then tilting his head, he kissed her softly, slowly, as he tried to convey with his lips all the love he was feeling in his heart.

  Once he lifted his head, he announced, “We’re going to be married. As soon as we can make the arrangements.”

  Her hands came up to cup gently frame his face. “Are you sure that’s what you want, Brady? There’s no urgency for us to become man and wife right now. And you’ve been a bachelor for a long time. Maybe you need to wait and think about this,” she suggested.

  His brows pulled together. “Lass, I’m asking you to marry me! And here you are trying to talk me out of it?”

  “I only want you to be happy. And before I came along you were a free man. You liked to date. Different women.”

  His frown deepened. “Before you came along, I didn’t understand anything about needing, loving. I thought playing the field would be all I’d want for a long, long time. I didn’t know what it meant to have someone become a part of me. I didn’t know that just the thought of having that part of me torn away would be too much to bear.”

  “You wanted me to go back to Porter Farms. Apparently you believed you could get along without me.”

  He groaned. “That’s because I wanted you to be happy. And I thought it could never happen until you reacquainted yourself with your old life. I never dreamed that everything was suddenly going to come back to you. But I thank God that it did.”

  He lowered his head, until his lips were poised over hers. “So what is your answer to my proposal? Am I going to have to beg to get a yes out of you?”

  “No,” she said with a happy sigh. “All you have to do is love me.”

  “For the rest of my life, darling.”

  Epilogue

  Three months later, on a cold December morning, Lass and Brady stood in the middle of the ranch yard and waved to Dallas as she pulled away in a truck with a horse van attached to the back.


  As Lass watched her sister-in-law’s vehicle turn a curve and disappear from sight, she said thoughtfully, “Dallas never quits looking for the perfect horse to use at Angel Wing. When Maura mentioned to her that Jake Rollins had an extremely gentle horse for sale, she couldn’t wait to drive over to his place to see it.”

  Brady’s mouth took on a rueful slant. “Well, just between you and me, I’d prefer she not do business with Jake.”

  Lass looked at him with a bit of surprise. Jake was his sister Maura and brother-in-law Quint’s ranch foreman. What could Brady have against the man? she wondered. “Why? He wouldn’t do any underhanded horsetrading with Dallas, would he?” she asked.

  Brady shook his head. “Not at all. Jake’s an honest man. And he’s damned good with horses. But he’s hell with the ladies. His motto should be too many women and not enough time.”

  Lass chuckled knowingly. “Seems like I once knew another man around here that was described as a ladies’ man.”

  Wrapping his arm around the back of her waist, he snuggled her close to his side. “Yeah. But that was before I found the love of my life.”

  She smiled dreamily up at him. “That’s probably all that Jake needs to cure his roaming ways—to find the love of his life.”

  Bending his head, he pressed a kiss on her forehead. “You could be right. After all, you certainly cured me.”

  Lass said, “Well, if I’d known you were so concerned about Dallas’s virtue, I could have made a trip with her to Jake’s place this morning. Just to act as chaperone.”

  Brady laughed. “Oh, no! I’m not that worried about my big sister.” With his arm curved possessively around her shoulders, he urged her in the direction of the house. “We both have the day off today and I’m going to take you shopping.”